# Serious Staph/Strep Infections in the Hospital **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [January 27, 2006, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/serious-staph-strep-infections-in-the-hospital/341886 "2006-01-27T19:33:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2006, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/serious-staph-strep-infections-in-the-hospital/341886/1 "2006-01-27T19:33:57Z")
After reading the horrifying link in the MPSIMS board about the quadruple amputee who caught a horrid infection while delivering her baby, I wonder…what are my chances of getting something like this if I’m in the hospital for a 2-3 day stay? Is there anything a person can do to protect themselves when they’re in a hospital situation? You hear about it more and more all the time. Since most hospitals are teeming with bacteria, what can you do to lessen your chances? ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2006, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/serious-staph-strep-infections-in-the-hospital/341886/2 "2006-01-27T21:36:31Z")
My parental grandmother died of staph infection that she picked up while in the hospital for a routine minor surgery 30 years ago next month. I never met that grandmother because of this, and I find it disheartening that it still happens to people today. Though I hope I’m wrong, I don’t believe there is much that a _patient_ can do to protect themselves since the germs are carried by people and objects in the hospital. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2006, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/serious-staph-strep-infections-in-the-hospital/341886/3 "2006-01-27T21:44:55Z")
(Counting down for the thread to be moved from GD …) Meanwhile, **insist** that every nurse and doctor and aid who touches you washes their hands and/or uses the alcohol-based hand rubs immediately before touching you, and then again after. You want to see them do it. Insist. Some hospitals are developing policies to culture the nares of patients about to have elective procedures, especially if they are high risk patients like diabetiics, to see if they are colonized with MRSA (the resistant staph) and pretreating them if they are. Lastly, try to work on getting out of the hospital as soon as you can. Better to have home health care involved and be in your own environment. ---
**Author:** ![alaricthegoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4bbf92/32.png) [@alaricthegoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alaricthegoth)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2006, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/serious-staph-strep-infections-in-the-hospital/341886/4 "2006-01-27T23:46:28Z")
I think they snuff 100,000 per year, through nocosomal infections (which is fancy for you came in with a hangnail, you left with flesh-eating staph…) ---
**Author:** ![alaricthegoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4bbf92/32.png) [@alaricthegoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alaricthegoth)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2006, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/serious-staph-strep-infections-in-the-hospital/341886/5 "2006-01-27T23:48:27Z")
I swear before Jesus you can see the miasma of disease hovering over a hospital from the parking lot, if you squint right…